It's Always The Last Place You Look
by PrinceOfUchiha
Summary: Sasuke is a halfbreed. Half Uchiha, half Hyuuga. His father, the king, must keep him hidden from everyone. Then the kingdom falls from within, and Sasuke is left to fight for himself. He must endure all the pain the world inflicts on him, at least until he can find a true home. (Eventual Minato and Kushina adoption. Midevil!AU. Zabuza. Orochimaru. Tailed beasts.
1. Endure

Note: I can't focus on my other stories and I just thought of a plot that would be super fun to write. So I'm writing it before it goes away. Hopefully it's enjoyable. This chapter will be extremely rocky since it's just the piolet chapter and it's really damn hard to write without using a name lmao. Hopefully the next one will be better, and I know for a fact it will be longer.

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The nameless boy had grown used to the beatings which were laid upon him nearly every day, yet he didn't enjoy them the way the prisoner beside him seemed to. The man, Hidan, savored every moment of the pain inflicted on him. He loved seeing the Scarlette oozing from his body, the soft tearing sound of his skin meeting metal, and the sight of the frustrated torture master. He flourished in the pain, while the boy found himself shrinking away from it, even if he deserved it much more. He supposed he was a coward.

The boy was not a prisoner, no, he was something much worse than that. He was a monster. He was a mistake. He was a half breed. A half breed, which no one outside the prisoners, some palace staff, and royal family knew of. A hidden monster kept far away from the kingdom and villagers. After all, he wasn't needed. They had Prince Itachi, the true heir to the throne. An Uchiha, through and through.

Itachi tried to convince him, time and time again, that it wasn't his fault. That is was their fathers. How could it not be his fault, though? He was the one filled half with the blood of a Hyuuga, not their father. Given, it was his father who decided to keep the Hyuuga Lady who was visiting with her family for peace affairs 'extra' company, but it was only to convince her the treaty would be worth something! He was the king, it was his duty to keep his nation safe, even if mistakes sprouted from it.

It wall would have worked out too, if not for the boy's birth. The Uchiha and the Hyuuga could have been at perfect peace, if not for the fact the wife of the second eldest Hyuuga prince had become pregnant while they'd been too distracted for months with their newborn son to do anything. The woman, his mother, had been killed quickly after his birth. He had been hidden from the world to keep both the kingdom's pride in place. Rather, the war broke out seemingly over the pass stresses of territory.

The boy wished for his death time and time again, to make things right. If the king showed him mercy and allowed him to die, all would be well. He could see it in his eyes when he came down after a long day of work to look over the biggest mistake of his life. The hatred. The disgust. The lack of pity. Then the odd look of enjoyment he seemed to gain when he laid a blow upon him. The look of relieve, as if all his stresses were gone. As if he were able to erase his mistake.

The half breed never resisted. Not anymore. He might have once when he was small and unable to understand how much he deserved it. Now he was six. He was smart enough to figure it out, to comprehend the whispers. To see the peace that sparked over his king's face when he saw the blood. The boy wouldn't take it away from him. He would endure, after all, he was his king. He kept him locked away from the world, where people of both the Hyuuga and the Uchiha would look at him with hate. His king protected him.

His king protected him, from the woman whom he had learned to be Itachi's mother. The queen. The woman who came down to watch him on the floor, sobbing, every night. She would look at him with empty dark eyes, unforgiving. He knew he deserved it. Those eyes drove him mad with guilt. They made him want to hide. They hurt him more than any strike ever could. He knew, he had ruined her marriage.

She would look into his eyes, and she would cry. She never cried for him, though. She had no reason to. After all, this boy was not her child. Itachi was her child. Her child, who suffered for his father's mistakes. Her child, who spent all morning before his lessons, patching and healing up to this broken boy. Her child, who suffered a terrible hatred for his father who would beat down on his half 'brother'. Her child, who wasted his time teaching the boy to speak best he could. Her child, who thought he was being sneaky when he brought the boy down leftovers from lunch.

The boy wished they would kill him, years ago. Why wouldn't they kill him? He deserved it. He was a stain on the family name. He supposed Itachi would never allow it. The prince took some sort of pity on him, after all. He would hold him, rocking him back and forth shakily, and cry for him. The boy never understood it, not until today.

He had woken up, unchained. His wounds were bandaged up, and he had been changed into more fitting clothes than his mucky old prison outfit. Lights had been shining in his eyes, distant voices he didn't recognize calling out to him. There were men over top of him, pulling him up and checking his vitals. He could hear Hidan's chuckling reply to one of the men's questions. "Why, that's the nameless prince, of course."

The boy was lifted to the chest of a blonde man, who covered his ears from Hidan's further explanation. He was carried out of the prison beneath the castle, the sun blinding him as he saw it for the first time in nearly five years. His small white eyes burned, and he found himself hiding in the expensive-looking robes of the blonde. A hand reached up to him, stroking down his raven locks.

His body shook at the contact, only letting out a small whimper. He could faintly hear the voice of a little girl, "Daddy, why are we here? It's scary. I thought you said the prince called for an emergency meeting?" only to be shushed by the man holding him. The boy dared to look up from his shoulder and was met with the eyes of a curious blonde child following behind him. The girl quickly switched her question after she was shushed, forcing on him. "Hello! I'm Ino, what's your name?"

He opened his mouth, long and uneven words coming out. "No name," he answered with a shrug. Ino looked confused at this, opening her mouth to object, when the blonde man sent her a warning look. His clothes were soft, he noted, the material feeling soft under his fingers. "Where Nii-San?" he asked tiredly.

A hand moved to his back, rubbing it warmly. He melted into the touch, relaxing. "If what we've heard is true, he's gone." the man breathed. "The entire kingdom...gone...in just a single night. Just over two hundred men and women. All dead. Little one, you're brother ended this kingdom."

Clutching the material, he blinked a bit. "Brother love kingdom. Brother nice to persons. He nice to me, and Hidan, Kisame." he yawned, listing off the names. "Brother loves people. He protector."

Smiling sadly at the boy, he sighed. He didn't want to break the little boy's heart with the realization Itachi had been much crueler than expected. He did worry for Sasuke's apparent lack of value towards human life. He noticed a woman coming over and pressed his lips together. The lead orphan transporter. Itachi had left all the children alive, and he wasn't sure if that was for better or for worse.

As she held out her arms to take the boy, the blond man whispered in his ear, "Sasuke. You will be Sasuke Uchiha. It means to endure. You've endured this much, just go a bit further and you'll find your place." he promised, not wanting to send the boy off with not even a name. The boy, now known as Sasuke, was surprised as he felt a woman's arms wrap around him, pulling him from the warmth of the blonde stranger.

His eyes flew open as he was placed on the floor by the woman who's skin was icy cold. She tugged him along, expecting him to follow. When he tumbled down, unable to walk, she frowned. She tugged the boy up, watching as he repeatedly struggled to stand. He felt shame burn in him as he spotted a few children in the wagon she was tugging him towards snicker. 'I heard he came from the palace'. 'I heard one of them say he was found out as the second born of the king'. 'I bet they kept him hidden for a good reason. Look at those freakish white eyes!'. 'They spoiled him so much he refuses to even walk!'

The whispers died down only slightly when the woman gave in and lifted him, dumping him onto the wagon beside a girl who inched away quickly. Even though they had all lost their parents within the last day, Sasuke noted, they still took quickly to making fun of him. It seemed his suffering helped them, so he wouldn't stop them. If they wanted to believe he wasn't walking out of choice, then so be it.


	2. Work Ethic

Note: Thank you for your reviews Esellyn and Guest, hopefully you enjoy the chapter!

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Sasuke pressed his lips together as they arrived. His instincts were kicking in, and he was afraid. Afraid of this new place. Afraid of these new people. Afraid of being alone. His stomach was doing flips. He sat in the wagon beside the others, watching as a few more were loaded on.

He looked around, not having been outside for as long as he could remember. It was just barely dawn, but even the small amount of light hurt his eyes. He kept his head lowered, overgrown black hair falling into his face. His pale hands folded in his lap, trying not to focus on all the noise. He felt sick. Daring to glance up, he saw the man from before holding his daughter who looked no older than him against his chest. He seemed to be soothing the confused and upset girl.

Sasuke met his eyes for only a moment and saw them shinning with remorse and sadness. Sasuke glanced down, biting his lip. Endure. That's all he had to do. Endure. He watched as one of the guards, which had an unfamiliar crest on their helmet, closed up the wagon. He heard him muttering, his words unkind. "Good riddance. The Uchiha have always been the sneaky type. I was just waiting for them to use illusion magic to kill the rest of us. Damn psychos."

Another hit him over the head, sending him a clear glare. "Don't let the brats hear you say that. They'll have a breakdown and it'll be impossible to get them to stop. They're being sent to the Land of Shadows. Way on the other side of Fire Country. Nothing to worry about. Maybe this batch hasn't been tainted yet, eh?" chuckling despite himself. While they joked quietly among themselves, Sasuke grew more nervous. Land of Shadows? That didn't sound comforting.

When the wagon started moving, Sasuke froze up. He'd never been on one before, so when he saw the remaining people going away so fast, he couldn't help but let out a slight yip in surprise. He clenched his hands in his lap, eyes downward. After about ten minutes it began. A girl, dark-eyed with brown locks, tugged at his messy hair a bit. "Your hair is dirty. My momma was a smith and even her hair stayed nicer than that."

When he didn't respond, not used to, she frowned in the offense. "What, are you too good to answer? Or are you scared?" she tilted her head, observation going to dislike for the boy in front of her. He was so...odd! The children on the wagon were the children of the Uchiha clan, so obviously, they had been brought up with pride. Always told to keep your head high, keep eye contact, and speak proudly. This boy...he ducked his head! His eyes stayed down to his feet! He didn't speak!

An older boy, one whose father was a member of the Uchiha council, scoffed. "Obviously he's scared, Isuma. Look at him! He has as much dedication as a child of the Inuzuka." the boy crossed his arms, looking over the side calmly. "As much pride too. So stuck up. My family has been on the council for generations, and I'm distantly related to the royal family. He just has a stick up his ass."

Sasuke said nothing despite this, remaining where he was. He was alone and afraid. He didn't need to get into a confrontment with the boy. Besides, he seemed to just be blowing off steam anyway. Sasuke would let him. He rode in silence, watching the scenery change.

For a brief moment, they passed through Hyuuga territory, and the entire time he felt stiff. They only passed the edge of it, not wanting to take the detour and instead just go straight across. He bared to look up finally, and his lips pressed together in dissatisfaction at what he saw. The people he saw had large silver eyes, no pupils at all. What that what he looked like? He had no idea. He had never seen a mirror. But he knew if so, he looked nothing like his family.

When they stopped, the wagon opened, and the other's all moved to pass him. They probably didn't want to be stuck beside one of his 'tantrums' as he heard one older girl call it. When they were all piled out, the woman from before started leading them into the house while whispering something to a bulky man and slim looking woman. Both frowned.

The bulky man was tanned considerably, had short spiky hair, brown eyes, and had a cloth wrapped around his head. He wore what looked like basic work pants and a sleeveless jacket. The pale girl had long brown hair, matching eyes, and a beautiful kimono on. The woman from before left and headed inside to get the children in order, while the other two came over towards him. The man spoke gruffly, "Get up. No tantrums. I know you're scared, but so is everyone else." he commanded firmly.

The six-year-old shook a bit at the voice, it reminds him a bit too much of his father's tone when he was upset. Sasuke forced the words from his lips, not wanting to be struck. "Can't." he choked out, voice raw and tired from the three days long journey with nothing to drink. They had shared water, but the other's had opted out of giving him any and he was too nervous to ask.

The woman frowned, moving closer. She moved the hair from his eyes, spotting the pale white ones. When his eyes were uncovered, they reflexively clenched under the sun, high in the sky. Her lips formed a thin frown. "You can't walk, or you won't? The woman who brought you, Konan, said when you were being transported you threw yourself on the ground."

He shook his head back and forth, frowning heavily. "Can't. Can't," he repeated. His speaking wasn't very good, only having learned bits and pieces when Itachi was free. The woman sighed a bit and lifted him into her arms. She was surprisingly warm, despite her icy looking appearance.

The man looked at her disapprovingly. "Don't do that. Even if he doesn't know how to walk, he'll never figure it out if you baby him." he scolded. The girl sighed, yielding hesitantly. She laid him on the ground, still holding onto his wrist as they headed inside. They had to walk slowly, Sasuke clinging to her kimono and hand in a vain attempt to stay up on his own two feet. When they got inside, he noticed the other children all saw lined up on the couch.

She set him down on the couch, both adults and Sasuke noticing the way the other children scooted away from him. Sasuke kept his head down with his eyes, hands resting respectfully in his lap as the man came in front of them. "I am Zabuza. I run the orphanage in the Land of Shadows. This is Haku, he helps around here." Sasuke noticed the strain he put on the word 'he', the boy flustering at his mistaking him for a girl.

A few of the other's finally faltered a bit, looking nervous just as Sasuke did. Zabuza continued, "We eat breakfast at 5:00 am every morning. You all will have the building cleaned by noon, or there will be no lunch. Everyone will do their fair share. We have lunch at noon, as I just said, and there will be no arguing. You will eat what is given. You will have the afternoons to yourself, but you are not to leave the gates. It's a forest for miles around here. There are dangerous animals out there, and people who will try to take you. If you are taken, you are dead. You will be inside and at the dinner table by 6:00 pm. If you miss any of the meal times, even by a minute, you will not eat. You will bathe once a week. No more, no less. You will sleep at 8:00 pm. If you need assistance, go see Haku. He will decide if it needs my attention. Now, it's at 3:00 pm. You all can wait a bit for dinner. Go focus on putting your things away and picking a bed. Dismissed."

He spoke roughly, and most of the other children looked terrified of him, but Sasuke felt excitement welling. They would get to eat every day? Three times a day? A bath every week? Free time? As the other kids started heading off, Sasuke did his best to stand--only to fall on his face. Zabuza, who had been ready he head out the door to the kitchen with Haku right behind him, stopped abruptly. He let out a long sigh. Sasuke felt red dust his cheeks as the man slowly turned around, taking heavy steps towards him, until Sasuke was face to face with his shoes. He was too nervous to look up.

The man crouched, giving the boy an annoyed look. Haku had headed off into the kitchen to start boiling the water for dinner. So Sasuke was alone with this man, who sounded like his father, but was four times his size. "How old are you, boy?" the man demanded coldly.

Sasuke looked at him, confused for a moment, before holding up his hands. He held up six fingers but looked unsure. The man frowned at this. "I didn't see a file for you in the portfolio. I'll need that information." getting a slip of paper and a pen. Might as well get it now, while he was asking. "Your name, Parent's names, parent's job, birthday, gender, weight estimate, and height."

His head felt like it was going to explode as he tried to comprehend the request. "Zabuza uses word not know." he blinked. The man sighed heavily, rubbing his temple at the boy. This was going to be difficult, wasn't it?

"Zabuza is using words you do not know," he repeated, correcting the boy's poor speech. "Who's your father and mother? What job did they have? When were you born? Are you a boy or a girl? Then how heavy are you, and how big are you?"

The boy seemed to think for a long moment before speaking. "Sasuke is named, Father is king, Mother is...um..." having to think for a moment. If the second born was a price, and he married her, that would make her a princess, right? Right! "Mother is a princess. I'm a boy. I weight...a lot. And I'm...uh...six years old big." he spoke, happy he could answer.

Zabuza sighed heavily. "You're no prince. You're as rugged as they come. Everyone knows the king treated his firstborn better than the crown jewel. Why would he not do the same for another? Not to mention those eyes." he frowned, lifting the boy's chin to look at his ghostly white eyes.

Tilting his head, Sasuke spoke as if it were obvious. "Not Uchiha princess. Hyuuga princess. King had to keep her company when they visited. But no one can know, gotta hide mistake, because it would discredit their integrity." the last three words coming out slowly. He didn't know what it meant, but Hidan was always raving about it so he supposed it must be important.

The man pressed his lips together, sighing. That was just like the Uchiha to do, the bastards. He lightly pressed his finger to the boy's chin. "You are not a mistake. You just haven't found your place yet. You will though, soon enough. It would be best if you keep your mixed blood a secret though, it's not smart to give out information like that. Got it, brat?"

Sasuke nodded in understanding, and the man stood. "Get up," he commanded. When Sasuke made no move to, he grabbed him by the back of his shirt and lifted him forcibly. "You're six. Most people know how to walk by the time they're two. Your speech patterns are all screwed up. You look like a mess. Absolutely terrible." he frowned. Sasuke ducked his head in shame, surprised as he heard the next words. "Tch stuck playing teacher once again. Come on, to me and Haku's room."

As the man walked off without warning, Sasuke practically clung to his side. The man gave a scolding look but said nothing as they headed to the bedroom. Sasuke found himself growing nervous. Was he going to get a beating for his idiocy? He hoped not. He had a feeling this man could do some serious damage if he wanted to.

Once they reached the room, Zabuza pried him off his side and forced him onto his feet. The man held him up for only a moment as he spoke, "Don't lock your knees. Pretend you're stretching your legs while upwards."

Sasuke did this, repeatedly tumbling onto the ground. Zabuza did not touch him when he fell. The six-year-old repeatedly tried to force himself up, only to go tumbling down to his knees again. After about twenty minutes of this, he grew frustrated. It wasn't fair! Everyone else did it with such ease, even those younger than him seemed to be darting up the stairs earlier!

He didn't get a chance to brood for long however, as Zabuza easily lifted him so he was back on his feet, trying again. "Come on, sitting and scowling won't help you any. You have to work if you want things." he scolded.

Sasuke tried once more, though his legs felt like jello as he did so. He frowned a bit is displeaser. He muttered, perhaps for the first time in a long while, a complaint. "They don't look like they worked to make it happen." he pointed out. The kids had practically lept where ever they went, even after such a tragedy!

Zabuza roughly lifted him once more when he fell. "That's why most of them will never succeed in being anything past a blacksmith. Being forced to work harder than everyone else is a blessing in disguise. It'll make you stronger if you let it."

Sasuke let out a small breath, frowning. It didn't feel like a blessing, but if this man said so, it must be. After all, what reason would he have to lie? Zabuza worked with him for an hour or so before Haku came in. The male smiled warmly at Haku knowingly, the muscled man only looking at her with a grunt. Sasuke blinked a bit, not understanding the subtle smugness.

Haku headed over to them, taking Sasuke's hand. Sasuke wobbled along with the older man, Zabuza heading into the kitchen to pick up on the cooking. Haku leads him to the staircase, carefully helping him up to it. "That's it. One foot at a time," he noted until they reached the top. When they did, he brought Sasuke to a bathroom. "Here, let's get you cleaned up."

He began running some water, shutting the door behind them. Sasuke was sat down on the floor beside the tub until he returned. When he did, Haku had him rise to his feet. He disrobed him and laid the young boy into the tub. Sasuke grimaced as he felt the warm water wash over his battered boy. Haku lightly began cleaning him off with a sprung, and Sasuke let him without complaint. It felt pretty nice. "So I hear your name's Sasuke. That's a nice name," he noted, trying to strum up a conversation.

Sasuke nodded a bit, "Man gave me it when he found me." he explained lightly. Haku nodded a bit, frowning as the boy bit his lip slightly. Haku had just rubbed over one of his many cut marks, as though he'd been tortured. Many scars littered his little body, but hopefully, some would fade as he grew older.

Haku brought water up to the boy's long tangled black hair, washing it for him. "We'll have to give you a little trim. Your hair's so long you can barely see your eyes!" he chuckled. Sasuke glanced away at that in shame, confusing Haku. "What's wrong, little one?"

Sasuke lightly ran his hands through the water, "Eyes are bad." he told the older, who scrubbed the soap into his hair. He didn't want his eyes to be shown, then everyone would know. Everyone would dislike him. Only his big brother would take pity on him, no one else. He was sure of it.

Haku helped him out, drying him off with a towel. "Your eyes aren't bad. They're very pretty, see?" showing him the mirror. Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw himself. He was much paler than any of the others, his long tangled black hair reached his knees, and his eyes were unlike the Uchiha or the Hyuuga. He could see his iris, just as the Uchiha, but his eyes were ghostly white just like the Hyuuga's. Seeing his eyes made his stomach turn. He wasn't an Uchiha or a Hyuuga. The boy felt his nerves flail, stepping back to cling onto Haku.

The older sighed a bit at Sasuke's whimpering, settling for setting him on the floor. He got the scissors out, lightly rubbing the boy's back in a soothing motion as he grimaced away naturally. "Alright, alright. Let's just get this over with and get you some dinner. You're too thin for your age."

Haku quickly cut off his long overgrown hair, watching as the mounts fell to the floor beside him. Soon enough he had a nice neat head of hair, save the two bangs on either side of his head. Haku took to brushing it, the boy relaxing after some time.

Haku noticed, working on the boy, he didn't seem to complain any when he was in pain or discomfort. How odd. He finished up his hair quickly and got him dressed in a pair of normal peasant clothes. Sasuke seemed to enjoy the fabric much more than he had his own.

The boy had a new lightness with the lack of hair and fresh body, so when Haku lead him downstairs, he noticed Sasuke's largely plastered smile. When they got to the dinner table, Haku helped Sasuke into his chair. Everyone quickly joined them, Haku and Zabuza sitting on the far end of each side of the table. The room quickly filled with chatter between the other Uchiha children, and a few Sasuke didn't recognize from the wagon. He supposed they must have lived here already.

Sasuke ate in silence, enjoying the food. It was a bean soup, which had a light spice to it. Most of his age were rejecting the food, earning scolding looks from older siblings and Zabuza, but he found it to be delicious. He was quiet as he ate every last spoonful, not used to having so much food. His stomach turned a bit as it got more than it was used to, but he let out a light breath. He didn't care about the discomfort in his stomach, not right now.

Haku picked up the bowls, speaking as he did so. "Alright. Everyone go get ready for bed. I want you in bed by 8:00 pm tonight." the children all obeying, probably more out of fear of the new situation than anything. Sasuke did his best to stand up and obey as well, only serving to fall on his face. He took a deep breath as Haku helped him up, the older male sending the older children who chuckled at Sasuke warning looks.

Haku helped Sasuke into his room, which he shared with many other children. She covered him up in his blankets, lightly patting the side of his face as he closed his eyes. The boy had a long way to go.


	3. Practice Makes Perfect

Thank you to everyone who reviewed on this story. Team Taka will be older than Sasuke in this AU, for later reasons. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

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The next morning as Sasuke woke up he let out a light sigh. He had eaten too much more than he was used to, and now his stomach hurt. He had awoken to Haku's voice telling them all it was time, so he did his best to sit up. He noticed everyone else moving to change into a fresh pair of clothes, but since his earlier ones were unfit to wear any longer, he remained in the spare Haku had given him.

He moved his body to the side of the bed, watching as the others quickly darted from the room and down to breakfast. He pressed his lips together, reasoning, he shouldn't eat any more anyway. It didn't matter no one helped him down, it wasn't their responsibility. He tried to steady himself into standing up but failed once more. Haku came over from across the room, asking from beside him, "Do you want breakfast?" seeing the slight shake of his head he sighed a bit. "Alright. Well, Zabuza said you'd get off doing chores and practice with your legs instead until you could walk. The downside is you won't get any free time either."

Sasuke nodded a bit and held onto his arm as he lead him to Zabuza and his room. Sasuke passed the dining room, a few children snickering at his assisted walking. What was so funny? Haku set him up between two dressers, doing his best to focus his balance and leg muscles. "I have to go head into town with Zabuza for a few hours for a meeting to turn over all the new paperwork. There are children here in the 17s. If you need anything just call and they'll help. If they don't, tell me when we get back."

The young boy gave a nod, not planning on leaving the room while they were gone. Sasuke wanted to learn how to build up the muscles in his legs as soon as possible so that he could be of use. Once he got his legs in better condition, he knew he would be with the other children, doing chores in the morning. He smiled a bit at the thought, once Haku and Zabuza had left.

Once he was in working order, he could contribute to the chores just like all the others. He could help keep it clean for the two elder males. It was small, but the only way Sasuke could think of to repay them. These last few days had been some of the scariest and best days of his life. He was given a name, shelter where he wasn't confined, food, baths, a hair cut! He had no idea how the other children were so upset by this.

That was until a thought crossed his mind. They had all just lost their families. Was that it? It did hurt Sasuke a lot that Itachi was gone. After all, he was the only one willing to teach him how to talk. The only one who took the time to tell him about the outside world. The only one to take pity on him.

Well, that was what he had thought before. Now, though, everyone was claiming that his brother was a murderer. That couldn't be the case, though. Itachi wasn't anything like that. He was kind, gentle, smart, and brave! He'd never do something so cruel. The elder boy had never even risen a hand to Sasuke before. He'd never even seen him yell at another person. Itachi was an angel!

Sasuke looked down at his legs as he shook his head back and forth. He didn't want to think about it. Back in the dungeon, all he had to do was think or listen to Hidan's stories. Here, he had ways to distract himself. He could focus on walking instead of wondering over a question he would never get the answer to.

He decided, he would work on learning how to care for himself. It was the best way to repay Zabuza and Haku for their work. He could work on walking first, then move on to talking. According to Zabuza, he had to work on his leg muscles to help his walking. Following that logic, he had to work on the muscles in his mouth to be able to talk clearer.

"I am Sasuke. Sasuke is my name. I was named Sasuke." he spoke, small gaps between his words. He figured if he continued, though, maybe they would disappear over time. He would have to ask Zabuza when he got back. The man seemed like he was fine with Sasuke as long as he was willing to put forth the effort. So if he asked for help in putting forth the effort, Zabuza would help. Right? It couldn't hurt to ask.

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A few hours later, when Zabuza and Haku returned, they were only mildly surprised at what they saw. When they stepped into the house, they both frowned. The house was cleaned up, the children seeming to of gone into two groups. Some of the kids were playing around outside while the others were crowded around their bedroom door. This didn't count the small group of elder teens in the kitchen, making lunch.

Zabuza's booming voice came from behind them, noticing a few of them laughing while the others watched him judgementally. "Do you all see something humorous?"

That was all it took for a few of them to yip, the other ones whipping around to look at him with a startled deer-in-headlights look. He gave them all a stern glared, "If you all don't have anything productive to do near this door, I suggest you leave." the kids doing just that.

Haku peaked in through the door, spotting what he was doing that had caught their attention. She heard him speaking, "I am Sasuke. Sasuke is my name. I was named Sasuke." the boy seemingly doing it in a somewhat smooth rhythm. She tilted her head, Zabuza moving past her and into the room. After all, why should they have to spy on him? It was their room.

As they entered in, Sasuke came to a quick stop and smiled up at them. Zabuza had to take a small pause as he saw how cheerful the boy was to see him. A child hadn't smiled at him like that since he had first taken in Haku all those years ago.

Zabuza had to steady himself mentally, resisting the urge to see the young boy as adorable. Haku gave him an amused knowing look before heading out to the kitchen to help the older ones with cooking. Zabuza quirked a brow at the boy as they were left alone, the bulkier man sitting at his desk to begin filling out some paperwork. "What's so exciting, kid?"

Sasuke took a few wobbly steps away from the dresser. "They aren't very good, but I can move away a little now!" he hummed over at him, the boy shinning with pride at his accomplishment. Zabuza glanced over his shoulder, nodding with a mildly impressed look. The kid caught on fast. "I was thinking- I was thinking-" the boy stumbled with his words, "You said I have to work on leg muscles to walk. So I gotta use mouth muscles to talk, right?"

Zabuza nodding, realizing now that was probably why the boy had been muttering to himself when they got home. "Yes, you'll have to work on your vocal and tongue muscles to be able to speak more clearly and faster. Starting with a simple sentence like the ones you were doing is a good idea. You can work on more complex sounds later."

"Complex?" the boy asked, tilting his head. Zabuza sighed.

"It's just means something that has lots of parts. So, longer or harder works in this case." not looking behind him as he returned to working on the papers.

Sasuke tilted his head, "Can I talk when you're here? Or do you want me to be quiet?" looking over at the older man who seemed busy writing down a lot. He couldn't read it, but Zabuza seemed important.

The bulky man focused on his work, "Do what you want. The food should be ready in ten or so minutes anyway." he commented.

TKTKTKTKTKTKTKTKTKKTKTKTKTKTKKTK

Haku called for lunch about fifteen minutes later. The kids came spilling in, one of the last ones in being Sasuke. He made it in time, however. As they all sat at the table, the normal line up happened. Zabuza on one side and Haku on the other. The kids all seemed to try to fit close to Haku, the only ones seemingly comfortable with being by Zabuza being a few of the elder children and now Sasuke.

The young Uchiha got a few looks of light amusement from the elders as he sat down with them, but surprisingly not in a hateful way. Sasuke smiled as he saw the smiles directed at him by the teens he didn't recognize. They didn't look like they were from the Uchiha compound. They looked much different than the typical dark look the kids on the wagon had held.

For example, the girl who began talking to him from his left side. "Hey there, you're one of the kids from the Uchiha territory, right? My name's Seigetsu, and this is Karin and Jugo." he grinned. "So, what's your name?"

Sasuke tilted his head at the white-haired boy, noticing the eyes of a red-haired girl and orange-haired teen on him as well. He nervously played with his shirt between bites as he ate before answering, "Sasuke."

Seigetsu grinned at him, waving him off. "Don't look so nervous, kid. We aren't gonna hurt ya. If you have the balls to sit by Zabuza, you're clearly a cut above those other Uchiha brats."

Once more, he only got a tilt of Sasuke's head in reply. Seigetsu sighed at the boy, a bit frustrated by his lack of response. Jugo elbowed Seigetsu in the side, offering the little boy, "What he means is that you seem pretty brave. How about you be our friend?"

The three elder teens nearly had to shield their eyes at the pure look that crossed Sasuke's face. It was pretty damn cute, even for the moody Seigetsu. The little boy nodded, finishing his food. "Sure!"

Sasuke noticed a few glares from the younger children despite their conversation remaining quiet. It looked like they were annoyed by Sasuke still. The young boy had to wonder, why was his happiness so offensive to them?

Once lunch was over, Karin spoke with excitement, "Hey, how about we all head outside? It's pretty nice outside, we shouldn't waste the weather. What do you think, Sasuke?"

The boy was excited briefly, before shaking his head back and forth. "I can't. I have to practice walking. Until I'm good at it, no free time." he repeated what Haku had told him. It made sense, and he hadn't really minded before, but now that someone was willing to talk to him it was a bit of a let down that he had to stay inside.

He only hoped that the teens would wait on him for the next few days. "I'll learn really fast so I can come with you later," he spoke, hoping they wouldn't decide not to be his friend since he couldn't walk fully.

Seigetsu tilted his head, "Huh, so you can't walk? Everyone else just thought you were throwing a tantrum."

The boy blushed a bit. "I'm trying. I'm not used to it."

Jugo asked doubtfully, "How are you unused to walking? You're at least five, I can tell. Even if you were extremely lazy, you couldn't sit down long enough to just not know how."

"I- well. I-" he flustered. "I don't wanna talk about it, but I wasn't allowed to stand up much." he babbled on, not wanting to seem weak after they had gone and called him brave, but wanting to be honest if they were going to be his friends.


End file.
